In The News December 2009 Vol. 12-12
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Christmas Everywhere
Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season!
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Holiday Lesson Modules
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Challenge authority, especially your own. |
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Listening from your heart is completely different from listening with your ears. Few people know how to do this, and very few parents listen to their children this way. Listening from the heart means being genuinely interested, open, and caring. It means being eager to hear, to learn, to be astonished...without the need to argue, interrupt the flow, or give advice (the really hard part!). Listening from the heart means not jumping in with your point of view, but rather hearing what life is like from your child's perspective. It is listening with a sense of wonder. When you listen from your heart, your child feels safe to tell all, for a child who is with a receptive adult, opens up and shares freely. A child who is upset needs sensitive listening where few words are exchanged. Remember that saying "Oh" or "Hmmm" is sometimes enough; the fewer words from you, the better. Don't try to coax for more information than your child wants to give.
Listening from your heart will heighten the sense of closeness with your child, and many times you'll discover that your gentle, quiet listening is all that's needed for your child to find his own solution. Adapted from Wonderful Ways to Love a Child by Judy Ford |
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For many of us, remembering is great fun, for other it is an impediment. Try the following to improve your memory:
Adapted from Next Step
This time of year is stressful on a number of fronts. Preparing meals can add to the stress. Here are some tips which may help:
Beverly Burmeier |
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Calvin Coolidge |
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"Why such a long face?" Eleanor asked Jude as she cut the dough for the holiday cookies. "I swear, the kids are the only ones who really enjoy this time of year," sighed her son. "Mine can hardly sleep right now from all the excitement. And I can hardly sleep from all the stress. You know what I mean?" "Not really," replied Eleanor. "You mean to tell me with all of the cooking and decorating and shopping and volunteering you do during the holidays, on top of your other responsibilities, that the stress doesn't get to you?" Eleanor wiped
the dough from her hands onto her apron. She picked up a "I don't know, a couple of ounces," Jude replied as he handed the glass back to his mother, who pushed it back into his hand. "Hold on to it for a minute," she said, looking at her watch. "Mom, what are you...." "Sssshhh. Just hold it." And after a full minute passed, she said, "Now try holding on to it like that for the next hour." "Mother, you're not making any sense. Besides, my arm is getting tired." "Exactly," Eleanor said as she gently touched the tip of his nose with her finger. "If that glass held everything that was bothering you right now, would you really want to hold on to it?" "No." Eleanor took
the glass from his hand and poured most of the water down the
drain. She handed the nearly empty glass back to her son and
said, "Here. This is probably all you need to be concerned
with anyway. And ev "So, put it down. That glass and what's in it can wait." Jude set the glass of water on the counter and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Can life really be that simple?" he asked. "It can be if you want to enjoy yourself." Adapted from Churches.com |
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There's no shortage of statistics on kids' lack of physical activity, but this one particularly shocked us: Only 11 percent of girls ages 5 to 8 get the recommended hour a day of physical activity, compared with 42 percent of boys, according to a study in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. What is going on? Part of it is that girls have less opportunity to get physical than boys, says Marj Snyder, Ph.D., chief program office of the Women's Sports Foundation in East Meadow, NY. Decades after Title IX, there's actually still a gender gap in school gym classes...a smaller percentage of girls are enrolled. But what's really driving the trend is that girls tend to feel less encouraged and less confident than boys, Snyder says. As disheartening as that sounds, it actually means there is a silver lining; There's lots you can do to give your daughter the boost she needs to set healthy habits for life. How to get started: Lead
the way. It doesn't matter is you weren't the star player (or
even on the team). Simply spending time with your daughter
shooting hoops, kicki Offer lots of options early. Whether it's simply going to the pool a few times a week or joining a martial-arts class, let her try a bunch of different activities until she finds something (or two) she loves. Catch the high school game. "Kids tend to admire people just above them most." says Snyder. Take your daughter to watch some of the local women's teams for instant inspiration. Adapted from Parenting |
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The Polar Express: This is the author's (Chris Van Allsburg) page. Students can flip through the pages of the book or read the story. The site includes a Kid's Page and Teacher's resources. http://www.chrisvanallsburg.com/polarexpress.html Color a Christmas Tree: There are a
lot of activities on this site. However, your child may enjoy coloring
the tree or singing songs. Not everything centers around
Christmas. There are ads on the page, which may confuse younger
children. The History or Santa Claus: The American version of the Santa Claus figure received its inspiration and its name from the Dutch legend of Sinter Klaas, brought by settlers to New York in the 17th century. This is part of a larger site. The home page has a lot of ads. http://www.the-north-pole.com/history/index.htm The Traditions of Christmas: The
history of a Christmas festival dates back over 4000 years. Ancient
Midwinter festivities celebrated the return of the Sun from cold and
darkness. Midwinter was a turning point between the Old Year and the
New Year. Fire was a symbol of hope and boughs of greenery symbolized
the eternal cycle of creation. Kwanza: Kwanzaa is a 30-year-old
African-American holiday now celebrated in African communities around
the world. Its roots are both modern and ancient.
Wishing you all joys of the Holiday Season! From the Knowledge HQ Staff Copyright © 2009 Knowledge Headquarters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.knowledgehq.com |
A child who is crying
does not want to be asked questions or be given advice. In
fact, he wants you to understand without his having to
explain. Too many questions and your child feels
defensive. Some children will share more; others will want
to keep it to themselves, and you need to learn to respect their
way.
glass
of water from the counter and handed it to Jude. "How much
do you suppose this weighs?" she asked.
en that will get heavy if you hold on to it
for too long." Jude agreed.
ng the ball, or trying that crazy new dance game
is what counts.
